The present invention provides, for the first time, nucleic acids encoding a eukaryotic mechanosensory transduction channel (MSC) protein. The proteins encoded by these nucleic acids form channels that can directly detect mechanical stimuli and convert them into electrical signals. These nucleic acids and the proteins they encode can be used as probes for sensory cells in animals, and can be used to diagnose and treat any of a number of human conditions involving inherited, casual, or environmentally-induced loss of mechanosensory transduction activity.